Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Qualitative data for this report
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- Figure 1: Descriptions of green lifestyle qualitative interviewees, January 2008
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Current reputation an asset or a liability
- Greens get their info online
- Design, color, and symbols
- Breast cancer, treatment of employees, human rights seen as more important than environmental issues
- Women and those earning <$75K more likely to respond favorably
- Wide variety of drivers means corporate greening has staying power
- Carbon neutral claims to lose their shine
- Green consumers are mainstream consumers
- One in three shop based on corporate behavior
- Punishments are more common than rewards…
- ...but most may not know who to punish or reward
- Push advertising meets with skepticism
- Spreading skepticism made easy by watchdog sites online
- Many paths to “greenness” illustrated
- Toyota
- Stonyfield Farm
- Nike
- Unilever
- Frito-Lay
- Chevy
- Wal-Mart
Fast Forward Trends
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- Accountability
- Accounting and transparency
- Industry-generated standards meet with skepticism
- Third-party verification
- Raising the bar
- Demonizing laggard brands
- Backlash
- Super Greens seek a new niche
- DIY Environmentalism
- Cutting through the clutter
- Reaching out to corporate watchdogs
- Viral and interactive marketing
- Community-based grassroots marketing
Insights and Opportunities
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- Honesty: The Anti-Greenwash
- Packaging telegraphs the green message
- Liars will be caught
- Winning over the youngest adults builds green brands
- Making the health and safety connection
- Greening the company website
- College grads important to green brands
- Gender matters in green branding
- Strategies for the black and Hispanic markets
Trends in Green Marketing
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- Traditional campaigns
- Powerhouse green brands
- Toyota: capitalizing on hybrid leadership
- Stonyfield Farm: focus on organic growth
- Nike: casting off negative publicity with a long-term plan
- Subaru: leveraging a previous image into the green arena
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- Figure 2: Subaru “Better plant, better cars” ad, 2008
- Unilever: buying into the green marketplace
- Clorox: developing a green line alongside its conventional products
- Frito-Lay: aiming to green the conventional line
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- Figure 3: Frito-Lay Sun Chips ad, 2008
- Procter & Gamble
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- Figure 4: Tide Ultra detergent, 2008
- Overcoming negative images
- General Motors (GM)
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- Figure 5: Chevy Volt concept ad, 2008
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- Figure 6: Chevy Tahoe hybrid ad, 2008
- Wal-Mart: making the changes before promoting them
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- Figure 7: Wal-Mart ad, 2007
- BP
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- Figure 8: BP energy alternatives ad, 2008
- Online and alternative marketing campaigns
- Facts, honesty, and having fun on the company website
- Interactive cause marketing a hit with 18-24s
- Using the news media to do your green marketing
- Harnessing customers’ creativity
- The power of green symbols
- Getting in good with citizen watchdogs
Competitive Context: Other Cause-Related Marketing
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- Introduction
- CRM is on the rise
- Consumers expect corporations to be socially responsible
- Green issues important, but breast cancer is the most popular CRM
- Top socially-responsible companies include green brands
- Who responds to CRM?
- More than half of adults respond to CRM
- CRM helps brand image among young adults
- Women respond more favorably than men to CRM
- A link between children and CRM
- CRM attracts Hispanic loyalty
- Benefits of CRM
- How consumers learn about CRM and how it influences purchases
- Products that might benefit from CRM partnerships
- CRM and green marketing share potential pitfalls
- Corporate environmental practices compared to other issues
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- Figure 9: Importance of different aspects of ethical corporate behavior, December 2007
- Core green consumers care about all aspects or corporate ethics
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- Figure 10: Importance of different aspects of ethical corporate behavior to respondents who are most concerned about corporate environmental impact, December 2007
- Women focused on people and the environment
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- Figure 11: Importance of different aspects of ethical corporate behavior, by gender, December 2007
- Income mediates expectations of business
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- Figure 12: Importance of different aspects of ethical corporate behavior, by household income, December 2007
Market Drivers
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- Green investing impacting company valuations
- Follow the leader or fall behind
- Wal-Mart flexes its environmental muscle
- Peer pressure drives everyone green
- Keeping one step ahead of government regulations
- Green media channels proliferate
- Green goes mainstream
- Health and safety concerns boost the green market
Trends in Green Business Practices
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- Carbon Neutral: trendy but confusing
- Carbon accounting can be murky and challenging
- The rising popularity of the carbon-neutral claim
- Is the claim legitimate?
- The growth and appeal of offsets
- Problems with offsets
- Metrics and standards on the rise
The Green Consumer
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- Shades of green
- How do Greens think?
- Age and green shopping patterns
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- Figure 13: Frequency of buying green products, by age, December 2007
- Household income and green shopping
- Race and ethnicity
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- Figure 14: Frequency of buying green products, by race/ethnicity, December 2007
- Education
- The impact of children in the household
- Reasons for buying or not buying green
Consumer Attitudes Toward Corporate Responsibility
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- Going green affects the decisions of one third of online respondents
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- Figure 15: Influence of corporate behavior on shopping decisions, December 2007
- Corporate ethics does not resonate so well with the 18-24s
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- Figure 16: Influence of corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by age, December 2007
- Education drives expectations for corporate behavior
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- Figure 17: Influence of corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by education level, December 2007
- Most worry about corporate behavior but do not act
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- Figure 18: Reasons that corporate behavior does not impact shopping decisions, December 2007
Rewarding Ethical Brands
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- One in nine respondents will pay more for ethical brands
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- Figure 19: Influence of positive corporate behavior on shopping decisions, December 2007
- The young and educated more willing to sacrifice convenience for greenness
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- Figure 20: Influence of positive corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by age, December 2007
- College grads and students committed to rewarding ethical brands
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- Figure 21: Influence of positive corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by education level and student status, December 2007
Punishing “Bad” Brands
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- The stick is more common than the carrot
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- Figure 22: Influence of negative corporate behavior on shopping decisions, December 2007
Deciding Which Brands are Green
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- Sources of information
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- Figure 23: Sources of information about corporate environmental behavior, December 2007
- Age-related media divide governs the way people learn about green issues
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- Figure 24: Sources of information about corporate environmental behavior, by age, December 2007
Which Green Issue is Most Important?
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- Figure 25: Importance of specific corporate environmental practices to consumers, December 2007
- Women more concerned than men
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- Figure 26: Importance of specific corporate environmental practices to consumers, by gender, December 2007
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Limits to Knowledge about Corporate Responsibility
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- Half of concerned respondents cannot name a company they approve of
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- Figure 27: Familiarity with positive and negative corporate behavior of specific firms, December 2007
- Higher-income respondents feel more informed
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- Figure 28: Familiarity with positive and negative corporate behavior of specific firms, by income, December 2007
- Responses by education
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- Figure 29: Familiarity with positive and negative corporate behavior of specific firms, by education level, December 2007
Attitudes Toward Green Advertising
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- Consumers willing to believe, but also following up
- Advertising probably not the best foot forward
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- Figure 30: Consumer attitudes toward green advertising, December 2007
- Women safer targets for green advertising
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- Figure 31: Consumer attitudes toward green advertising, by gender, December 2007
- College grads skeptical of green ads
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- Figure 32: Consumer attitudes toward green advertising, by education level, December 2007
Results by Race and Ethnicity
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- Figure 33: Influence of corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by race/ethnicity, December 2007
- Charitable giving and local efforts important to people of color
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- Figure 34: Importance of different aspects of ethical corporate behavior, by race/ethnicity, December 2007
- Hispanics willing to compromise for green brands
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- Figure 35: Influence of positive corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by race/ethnicity, December 2007
- Whites more committed to punishing bad corporate behavior
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- Figure 36: Influence of corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by race/ethnicity, December 2007
- Green ads are missing blacks
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- Figure 37: Consumer attitudes toward green advertising, by race/ethnicity, December 2007
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Custom Consumer Groups
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- Core customers expect comprehensive environmental improvements from green companies
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- Figure 38: Importance of specific corporate environmental practices to consumers most concerned about corporate environmental behavior, December 2007
- Super Greens/True Greens have a special relationship with green advertising
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- Figure 39: Consumer attitudes toward green advertising, by frequency of green shopping, December 2007
- Senior and high income women concerned about corporate ethics
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- Figure 40: Influence of corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by gender and age, December 2007
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- Figure 41: Influence of corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by gender and income, December 2007
- High-income Hispanics most committed ethical consumers
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- Figure 42: Influence of positive corporate behavior on shopping decisions, by race/ethnicity and income, December 2007
The Qualitative Survey: Consumer Concerns and Behavior
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- Concerns
- Recycling the leading way to lead a green life
- Green shopping commonalities
The Qualitative Survey: What Companies are Green?
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- Introduction
- Impressions of specific companies and industries
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- Figure 43: Companies viewed as environmentally friendly by multiple respondents, January 2008
- Figure 44: Companies mentioned as environmentally friendly by a single respondent, January 2008
- Figure 45: Companies viewed as bad for the environment, January 2008
The Qualitative Survey: Green Branding
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- Introduction
- Packaging a key theme for respondents
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- Figure 46: Sources of information on green companies, January 2008
- Energy-efficient products a clear driver of perceptions
- “Greenness” of retailers depends on products carried above corporate policies
- Promote your solar panels and telecommuting employees
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- Figure 47: Specific actions expected of green companies, January 2008
- Advertising tainted by concerns about credibility
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- Figure 48: Respondents’ opinions about green claims in advertising, January 2008
- Exuding that green feeling
- Green the brand, not the parent company
- Healthy = green; green = healthy
- Companies that care about people and communities care about the environment
- Yesterday’s negative brand image taints today’s green initiatives
- Distribution a key source of credibility
The Qualitative Survey: Responses about Packaging
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- Simple packaging sends a green message
- Product packaging claims: offer facts and figures
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- Figure 49: Views of green claims on product packaging, January 2008
- Consumers want evidence, but not too much
Appendix: Trade Associations
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